MENTAL HEALTH PATIENTS SUFFER UNDER RATIONING OF HEALTH CARE DOLLARS

QUEEN’S PARK – This morning Ontario PC Health Critic Jeff Yurek (MPP Elgin-Middlesex-London) questioned the Liberal government on the impact of rationing health care on mental health patients.

“Minister, your government’s rationing of healthcare has created a crisis in Ontario. Last week in London, 22 mental health patients were left waiting for beds. They were placed in a classroom because there was no space,” stated MPP Yurek. “Guelph’s emergency room was shut down when 11 mental health patients required inpatient admission but the hospital had nowhere to put them. Minister, mental health patients deserve the same care as physical health patients.
Over the weekend, an individual suffering from Alzheimer’s spent eight nights sleeping on Victoria Hospital floor in restraints.
“The health care system is being rationed because of the government’s financial mismanagement. We’ve seen over $2 billion wasted on e-health, $26.9 million on the diabetes registry, and billions more on orange,” continued MPP Yurek.
“Imagine what investments the government could have made in mental health services with the money they have wasted. Our most vulnerable will continue to fall through the cracks if the Liberal Government continues to ration health care.” concluded Yurek.